reborn as lazy lord destined to doom

"Young Master, His Grace, Lord Everard, awaits beyond this door. I have brought you here as per his command. Please allow me to inform him of your arrival before you proceed." She said with a gracious bow.

"Yes, go ahead."

She then knocked on the door twice before pressing her hands against it, beginning to push. The guards on either side followed suit, assisting her in opening the heavy door. Well, considering her strength stat, it seems like formalities are highly valued here.

The moment the door opened, Seraphina quickly stepped to her left, bowing her head in perfect alignment with the synchronized movements of the guards on either side.

As the grand chamber was unveiled, the imposing figure of Everard came into view. He sat with a confident yet casual posture, his sharp gaze scanning the paper in his hand. Standing close behind him was his personal butler, Sebastian, attentively assisting him with documents. Beside them, two elderly men—likely the ministers and brains of the duchy—observed in silence, their expressions stooped in wisdom. A short distance away, maintaining a formal stance, stood a knight clad in sturdy armor, likely a head knight, his expression stern.

Upon seeing me, the duke cast a fleeting glance at the two elderly ministers and the head knight. They immediately understood his unspoken command and excused themselves without hesitation. As they passed by, they offered me a formal bow, to which I responded with a slight nod.

Once they had left, I stepped forward. With each measured step, the weight of his gaze settled upon me. When I had walked far enough, reaching the center of the chamber and standing directly before him, I halted. Then, with deliberate grace, I bowed.

"You summoned me, Father. I am here." I said with a reserved tone.

"Get to the point, Hugo. it better be something worth my time." He said, turning his gaze back to the paper with a tone suggesting disinterest.

Well, I asked him to summon me, though indirectly, so this kind of treatment is expected. infact I should be happy I am given any time at all despite his busy schedule.

"Pass me the documents with trade details, and while you're at it, have Old Man Gavric put under my command," I said with a casual tone getting straight to the point as he wanted.

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"Y-Young master, if you are unwell, I will arrange sui-" Sebastian was interrupted.

"And what, Fold them into little paper birds? and let gavric teach you how to make them?". Duke said with a mocking smile on his face.

"That’s one way to pass the time. Another? Negotiating new trade routes with Tenjiku empire." I said, imitating his tone.

"Except it’s trickier than walking on shards of a broken teacup." He said, his lips still smiling, but his eyes had gone cold.

So that’s how it is… Seraphina was testing me. If I hadn’t measured up, she would have walked away, and this meeting wouldn’t even exist. But the fact that he could conclude that I walked on a broken teacup just from my slightly changed walking posture suggests that he is more intuitive than calculative, a tricky one.

"It's not my fault that I could pass from just walking on broken shards," I smirked. "I didn't know it was a test of threshold." I matched his crimson gaze with mine.

His smile widened, but his eyes gleamed with the cold scrutiny of a scholar studying a test subject.

"The negotiations have already reached saturation, kid. There aren't any profitable trade options left for either empire to trade." He said with a calm tone.

"Who said we are going to negotiate representing Valthryon Empire?"

"Common sense?"

"The same one that put Falcon Duchy in the last place in terms of economy?"

"Little brat, you got quite a slick tongue. Though I will be disappointed if that's all you got."

Pheww.... he finally showed interest in this conversation, I should make most out of this, for that I should take advantage of the predicament the duchy is in.

Unlike the other seven duchies, Falcon Duchy has no grand history, yet it rose to the top three in a single generation, all thanks to my father. An achievement, no doubt, but one built too fast to forge deep trade ties or lasting alliances. Its only strength? The Falcon Regiment, the empire’s finest. Its only advantage? A shared border with Tenjiku. But even that is worthless, as Griffin Vale Duchy, the duchy with the most elaborate history, has long monopolized trade routes between Valthryon and Tenziku. Falcon Duchy is located just beside Griffin Vale, 'the trade center of Valthryon', hence, the chances of Falcon getting any trade opportunities is next to zero.

Does Everard not know this? Of course, he does. That’s why he devised a plan.

I pieced it together from his recent actions—massive accommodation and warehouse construction. It suggests he’s not competing for trade but leveraging Falcon’s proximity to Griffin. Merchants traveling to Griffin Vale often stop in Falcon’s forests, hiring adventurers for protection. But Everard secured every safe zone, building accommodations there and stationing Falcon Regiment soldiers nearby. By flexing military strength, he ensures merchants pay for safety—at a cost rivaling an A-rank adventurer party.

A smart move, but hardly enough to fund his ambitious reforms. Which means, right now, he and his ministers must be racking their brains for another revenue stream.

Guess what, I happened to have one. My fiance, the way for revenue stream to Falcon Duchy.

"Father, I do have a question. I request a simple answer, and I will make sure our conversation is worth the pardon for my insolent behaviour," I said with a total 180-degree turn in my tone.

"Interesting, so you do know you are a brat. get to the point," he said, with a mocking tone.

"My fiancée… did you choose her because her father, the Viscount of Leon Duchy, controls a better share of traders who take an alternate route to Griffin Duchy? But you want them to reroute through Falcon’s forests instead—so you can double the revenue?". I said with a tone devoid of any emotion.

"Yes, that might be the main reason but that alone isn't the deciding factor. I judged she is capable of handling Falcon's administration andshe posses great skills beyond her age." He said with his gaze on the ceiling.

So he thought since Hugo is not capable enough, he wanted a person by Hugo's side to take over the duchy after him, though it failed at the end since that engagement is broken after Everard's death.

And the reason why he chose Sylvia Leon, apart from her uncanny skills, is because of the Leon duchy's export rate, infact just altering their trade route towards Falcon's forests is enough to increase the revenue through accommodations by 100%.

"I think we can milk- 'ahem', secure more profits through this engagement than just increasing accommodation revenue," I said with a reserved route.

"Hmm? Look kid, just because we have good ties with them, they won't go against GriffinVale Duchy. It holds almost all tr-" I interrupted Everard, Well, I already said I would be receiving his pardon for my insolent behaviour.

"I don't plan on making the whole Valthryon Falcon's enemy, father. What I plan on doing is increase the economy of Falcon Duchy in a way that is reflected in Valthryon's glory." I said, maintaining a formal tone.

"How do you do that with out going against already existing system?" His tone this time did not mask his interest.

"The reason why once tensed Valthryon and Tenziku borders are now peaceful is because of existence of common enemy, the one of the three human empires the Zerathene empire. And how is this empire without the support from other two human empires is stable?"

"Wait...You don't mean..."

"Yes, father, just as you thought. I plan on making Leon Duchy, the one who shares a border with the Elvian empire, our ally, thus creating a new trade route that has never existed before."

"Hmm, that way it seems like we are bringing over one of the supporters of the Zerathene empire, but do you know why the Emperor hasn't done this?"

"Yes, father, it's because the Valthryon empire doesn't want to be the first one to break this fragile truce between the three empires."

"That is why your idea is abit far fet-"

"Except we won't be breaking any truce, all we will be doing is being the middle men in all the new trade forms that will be forming automatically."

"...How..."

"It's simple. Since we'll be trading with the Elvian Empire, we propose they sell our products to the Zerathene Empire and, in return, sell theirs to us—alongside their own goods. Additionally, we'll include Tenziku spices in our exports to the elves. However, the right to sell each empire's products will remain exclusive to their own envoys. What do we gain? The sole right to establish the Leon Duchy, now our ally, as the trade hub that connects them all."

"This sounds nice, but you do realise it involves envoys not just from Valthryon and Tenjiku but also from foreign Elvian empire and Enemy Zerathene empire right?. Also, your plan of making Leon Duchy the trade hub, you are investing too much on an uncertain ally."

"Father, the difficulty of a plan isn’t in the number of variables but in how easily they can be solved."

"The envoy issue? Zerathene doesn’t need to be involved yet. Once they see we’ve secured trade with Elvian, they’ll come crawling on their own."

"As for the Elvian envoy, right now, their only trading partner is Zerathene, meaning the Merchant Association there dictates their prices. But if they trade with us, they gain leverage in pricing. They may hesitate at first, but once they see the profits, they'll accept."

"Tenjiku benefits as well—the wider their product reach, the greater their gains. Since trade rights remain exclusive to each empire’s envoys, they have nothing to lose."

"And Valthryon’s envoy? That depends on how you negotiate with His Majesty."

"The plan isn’t complicated, Father. It’s just a matter of showing them why they need us."

"As for putting too much trust in Leon Duchy—though not now—Orion Leon is a potential candidate for the next duke. He may be the third son, but as the first wife's son, he holds a rightful claim. With your support in the imperial gatherings, his chances of securing the title are all but guaranteed. And since his daughter is my fiancée, aligning with us benefits him far more than opposing us. Given the choice, he won’t hesitate to stand as our ally."

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Aaa.. hello? Am i left on heard?

"As you said the variables are many but the solution is logical. though results are uncertain, the gains from it are worth risking for" His gaze fixed on me, " How long have you been thinking abou this?" He finally spoke.

"I have been deligently studying and understanding all these since the time I returned from academy 2 years ago, father." Well, I can't tell him my past self was a business heir.

"Sebastian, summon the ministers," the duke commanded, his tone firm yet measured. "And grant Hugo full access to the duchy’s study and research hall."

"Yes, your grace, at once"

"Hugo, you may leave. I will be having Orion over for discussions, your fiancée might accompany him when he arrives."

" Yes, father, I will make sure to treat her well."